This past week a local school on Long Island honored the memory of cartoon illustrator Al Plastino.  He was one of many Italian Americans who crafted the comic books that every boy in the country grew up with — Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

I’m not a collector or devotee of comics, but in tracking down Al Plastino’s bio, I stumbled on an army of Italic artists who formed the backbone of the comic industry.  In the trade there were writers, sketchers, inkers, and even the guys who lettered the dialog in the bubbles.